


Shadows & Scarlet [Completed]

by cham_p_on



Category: Fairytale Enchantress (Series) - KM Shea, Timeless Fairytales (Series) - KM Shea
Genre: F/M, Fluff/Comfort, Romance, acridget, au chosen amnesia, au chosen angelique, drama/hurt, dumpster fire chronicles, stabby siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27682892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cham_p_on/pseuds/cham_p_on
Summary: All his life, Acri knew all to well what it feels like to be left behind. Sooner or later, the people he loved and trust will leave, one way or another.But fate has other plans when he got injured during a break-out and ended up in the hands of The Red Rider.
Relationships: Acri/Bridget, Evariste/Angelique, platonic!Acri/Angelique
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Shadows & Scarlet [Completed]

**Author's Note:**

> To prevent confusion, this fanfic is based on an AU where Angelique is first discovered and trained to be a villainess by the Chosen. (Thank you, Rakel/Emmy!!!💓)

When Acri was four years old, the first signs of his magic started to show through. Once his parents realized the type of magic he possesses, they wasted no time in starting his magical education. Needless to say, he wasn’t the brightest pupil in the class – if his teachers’ frustrated sighs during their lessons was an indication of that – but whatever he lacked in brainpower, he made up for by excelling in magical combat and his training.

“Again!”

Acri took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes as he lurked around the practice dummy. He raised a hand to wipe off the sweat dripping down his temples, his damp hair obscuring his vision. Acri clenched his teeth as he felt his sharp magic made its way to the palm of his hands. He looked up at the balcony and saw his father staring at him. Sorcerer Rothbart could be seen standing behind him, his infant daughter, swaddled in rose-gold cloth is deeply asleep in his arms.

The shadows bent to his will and began forming a trident, rising from the ground and residing on the palm of hands. When he felt his magic solidify the shadow weapon, he shot the trident towards his target and plunged it into the center of the dummy. When another weapon found itself embedded over the dummy’s head, the sound of clapping made Acri turn on his heel and look up.

Despite feeling exhausted from all the practice training he had to do, he tries his best to make his parents proud by doing well. Or in his mother’s case, keep her satisfied.

“That’s enough practice for today,” his father said, giving Acri a reassuring smile “Good job, son!”

Acri smiled at his father, trying his best to wipe off the sweat sticking to his nape and shoulders with a damp towel.

“Remember this, son!” he said, placing a firm hand on Acri’s shoulders “You are destined for greatness!”

If he was honest with himself, Acri cannot really remember what his father looked like. Although his father could be seen as strict and distant, the sorcerer shows his affection in unusual ways. Even if every memory Acri has of him blurred over time, Acri could distinctly remember his father having the same dark hair that he has.

* * *

Acri woke up, bolting upright and panting heavily as sweat dripped down from his neck. He looked at his surroundings and he shook his head, hoping to clear his mind.

His body felt so heavy when he stood up and the room swayed no matter where he looked. His breath is labored with every step that he takes. When he fell to his knees, someone entered the room.

The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a cloaked figure, clothed in red.

* * *

“Your name is Angelique? Oh, what a pretty name you have!” Liliane cooed as she approached the little girl.

When his mother’s back was turned at him, Acri found himself glaring at the new recruit with disdain. _How dare she!_ He clenched his fists so tight, his knuckles turned white as he watched the little girl with teary, silver eyes.

 _I’ve been working hard for years to gain her approval._ Acri thought as he watched Liliane tuck the little girl’s hair behind her ear. _There’s no way I will let myself lose to someone like her!_

When his mother had taken interest upon the new kid with powerful war magic, Liliane made it clear that her love is something conditional – something that has to be earned. And for years, his mother’s plan to keep them in line worked.

For quite a long time, he and Angelique had been stuck on a vicious cycle as bitter rivals, competing for his mother’s attention and affection. But even then, not everything always goes according to his mother’s plan.

“We’re surrounded!” Angelique yelled, her silver magic flowing freely from her hands.

“Yeah, I can see that!” Acri replied as he watched a pack of hellhounds emerge from the bushes. Angelique wasn’t clearly in the mood for his sarcasm as she turned to elbow his chest.

When one of the hellhounds drew closer, Angelique and Acri had an exchange of glances and nodded at each other. Acri raised his hands above his shoulders, large shadow weapons erupting from the shadows as he did so. The weapons shifted when it made contact with Angelique’s magic, the sharp ends turned to silver and pointed towards the snarling beasts.

 _Mother knows many things_ Acri grinned as he watched Angelique control the shadow weapons he made. Looking at the war mage beside him, who would have thought that they would become strong allies. _But she doesn’t know everything!_

* * *

All his life, Acri knew all too well what it feels like to be left behind. He was no stranger to the hollow feeling of abandonment. When Acri got older, he always told himself that he is used to the inevitable.

Many people he knew left without an explanation. Why shouldn’t he do the same to them?

When a group of Chosen mages attacked his master’s household, Clovicus and Acri were forced into hiding, barely escaping from the onslaught of dark mages. Acri was slowly healing from his injuries when he finally got his memories back.

Acri felt so betrayed and angry that despite his weak and feverish body, he gathered enough strength to stand up to the enchanter who lied to his face and deceived him for months.

“I trusted you!” Acri yelled, his voice shaking ever so slightly. Clovicus looked at him, remorse and worry written all over his face “I fell for all your lies and you basked in glory over fooling me!”

“It’s not what you think, Acri” Clovicus replied, his voice stern but gentle.

“Do you even think of me as your son?” Acri said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes “Or was that a lie, too!”

“Acri, I know you may not believe me now” Clovicus said, his lips curled into a weak smile “But I do feel fondly for you! You’re like a son to me and that is the truth!”

“Stop lying!” Acri turned around and felt his magic conjure a sword through his fingertips. He stared at the old man as he held the sword against his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find the courage to swing.

Just as the enchanter chose to save his life before, he chose to spare his life. In the blink of an eye, he turned on his heel and left the lord enchanter on his own. As he passed by the tall grove of trees, Acri looked back one last time before making a vow to never return.

It was only after he was thoroughly punished by his mother – her way of welcoming him back to after being absent from a failed mission for months – and sent on night guard duty by Suzu that he finally noticed the bracelet that Clovicus has given him for his apprenticeship.

 _Why am I hurting when I’m the one who left?_ Acri thought to himself, his finger rolled one of the beads on the string. He could not find it upon himself to break it apart or throw it away, so he kept it hidden under his sleeves, away from the Chosen’s prying eyes.

* * *

Acri felt a warm hand touch his forehead. Despite the tremendous pain surging through his body, he felt comforted by the sensation. Every muscle in his body felt so weak and useless.

“Clovicus?” he murmured, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion when he tried to open his eyes.

When he managed to open his eyes, all he saw was the unfamiliar face of a woman. Her brightly colored eyes shone beautifully in contrast to the vibrant red cloak that shrouded her face.

“Get some rest!” his savior replied, her voice commanding but gentle.

Acri felt her expertly wrap cloth around his arms; the faint scent of herbs coming from the bandages soothed him as he felt his entire body surrender to a deep sleep.

* * *

“Why are you helping them?” Acri asked as he shook his head. Angelique’s lips were pressed into a thin line and she looked down at her own feet “I know you finally got your memories back! So why won’t you come back to us?”

“You don’t understand, Acri!”

“Then help me to understand!” Acri exclaimed, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned his back on a tree “What difference does this make to you? In case you forgot, they lied to us, Angelique! They tricked the both of us! Even in our amnesiac state, these people still treated us badly! They held their prejudice and judgements against us!”

“At least I got to be treated like a human being! I may be an outcast, but I wasn’t treated like a weapon or a mere object!”

“I’m giving you one last chance to change your mind” Acri muttered, his garnet eyes fixed on the war enchantress.

“I’m sorry, Acri!” Angelique replied, raising her silver magic against him “But my answer is still no”

“Is there no way that I can convince you to go back to the Chosen with me?” Acri asked, slowly approaching Angelique as a sword materialized in his hands. The blade glinted brightly under the moonlight, alarming the war enchantress of the danger she is in. They stood in front of each other for a long time, their magic ready to attack against the other.

When no one dared to move, Acri averted his gaze from the war enchantress and stabbed the sword into the ground. Angelique’s eyes darted from the war mage to the weapon, her eyebrows rising in confusion.

“For the sake of our friendship, I will let you go just this once!” Acri said as he turned his back at her “But the next time we see each other again, I won’t be as merciful as I am today! I expect you to fight me with like you would with an enemy!”

* * *

Acri groaned as he tried sitting up, pain shot up from his back whenever he moved. His hands unknowingly reached for his torso, noticing that his wounds have been cleaned and stitched properly. His arms and shoulders are wrapped with bandages and his shirt was neatly folded on the side of the cot he was in.

“Where am I?” Acri murmured as his eyes darted around the room, unsure of where he is and what events transpired him to end up there. When his feet touched the floor, an unfamiliar voice caught the war mage off his guard.

“What are you doing?”

Acri squinted when he turned to look at the speaker. The harsh rays of the sun haloed around the figure - making it difficult for him to see her face. Judging by the crimson color of her cloak, Acri guessed that she was the one who attended to his injuries.

“If you lose consciousness and fall to the ground one more time, I am not going to carry your raggedy body back to your cot!” she snapped at him as she walked into the room “I’ll have you know that you are not very easy to carry!” the young lady bluntly stated as she drew nearer, carrying a small tray with a chunk of bread and hot bowl of soup.

When Acri sat back down, she gave him the tray of food and began inspecting his stitches and bandages.

It was only when she was standing in front of him that he noticed her small stature. At best, she could reach his chest in her tiptoes. Acri astutely decided to keep his mouth shut, biting back any comment about her height as he gnawed on the piece of bread.

* * *

But goodbyes are not forever…

Acri staggered with every step of the way, his body ached whenever he moved. His body has never felt so weary and his heart was heavy when he finally found himself standing near a familiar-looking grove of trees.

“Will he ever forgive me?” he muttered, running his fingers over his messy hair.

The last time he had been here, he was injured and being nursed back to health by his former master. Weeks after he returned to his mother’s arms, he could no longer deny the dark void growing in his heart – a chasm so deep that no amount of praise from his mother or his comrades could fill.

From the distance, he could see the faint glow of a lantern. The unmistakable copper-red hair made Acri’s heart thump wildly against his ribcage. Before he could stop himself, he broke into a sprint.

“Acri?” the middle-aged enchanter asked as he noticed the black blur headed in his direction. Instead of answering, Acri threw himself into Clovicus’ arms and quietly sobbed into his shoulders.

* * *

One way or another, the people we lost in the way return to us…

“Welcome back, Angelique!” Liliane warmly greeted Angelique as she entered the foyer “I’m so glad you returned to us!”

Acri fought back the urge to roll his eyes all the way to the back of his head, noting the difference between the way his mother welcomed Angelique and the way she welcomed him when he returned.

 _What is she doing here? I thought she didn’t want to side with the Chosen anymore_ Acri felt his frown deepening as he watched Angelique return his mother’s embrace _If she chooses to leave the Continent, then I will still be forced to fight with her!_

“Come, my dear! I got something to show you!” Liliane exclaimed as she placed her arm on Angelique’s shoulders.

Acri followed the two women towards a dark room; variously displays of paintings are strewn across the floor. She gestured for Angelique to look behind the curtains, revealing Evariste behind the thick glass. He looked away from the scene, his eyes burning with hidden fury as he watched Liliane parade around the room.

When their eyes met, it took all of his willpower to remain impassive when he recognized the shrewd glint in Angelique’s eyes. _I don’t know what you’re up to, but I hope you know what you’re doing._ Acri managed to hide his chortle with a cough, shaking his head as his lips curled into a smirk.

“I can’t believe that sly fiend!” Acri mumbled to himself when he was out of earshot, his shoulders shaking as he suppressed his laughter. “She even had me fooled for a moment back there!”

* * *

Bridget was about to cross the borders of Farset when a gleam in the dark caught her eye, followed by the cold gust of wind that caused her teeth to chatter. She pulled on her mount’s reins, throwing her hood back as she slid off the saddle.

“Show yourself!”

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she carefully observed her dark surroundings, her red cloak billowing against the wind. Her hands reached down where she strapped a dagger to her side. From the bushes, she noticed a pair of red eyes looking at her.

“Do wolves even have red eyes?” Bridget muttered when a menacing growl could be heard from the shadows.

When Bridget slowly moved towards the figure, her gelding threw its head back and snorted loudly, exhaling white puffs from its nostrils. She stood her ground, her hands tightening around the dagger’s hilt as she pulled it halfway from its scabbard.

“Go away!” the figure released a low growl, pain and distress evident in his voice.

Acri tried his best to remain hidden in the shadows, desperately covering a bleeding wound with the palm of his hand. He tried to summon his magic but agonizing pain took over his body. The rider drew closer to his hiding place when he finally surrendered from his injuries and fatigue. Everything went black and he fell to the ground.

Bridget sighed in relief, uttering a short prayer to the skies, when she saw the man’s chest rise and fall in a steady pattern.

 _If I don’t start riding soon, my mission will be delayed._ The Red Rider watched her charger as it impatiently trudged its hoof against the ground. She looked back at the unconscious man, her eyebrows furrowing with concern. _But I can’t just leave him like this!_

* * *

“Is there anything wrong with my face?” Acri asked as he placed the empty bowl back into the tray. The entire time he was eating, he noticed the young woman staring at him intently.

“You mean, besides the obvious?” Bridget asked, crossing her arms “Well, for starters, you’ve got huge red eyes” She tilted her head to the side, her blonde hair spilling down her shoulders “You also have large ears” She pouted at him, slowly shrugging her shoulders “And you’ve got big teeth”

“Do you normally point out people’s flaws when you first meet them?” Acri grimaced, the thought of verbalizing his observations about her height not far from his mind.

 _If only she has other shortcomings that I could point out (other than her childishly small height), then maybe I would have had a better response._ But even then, Acri’s not entirely sure if bringing up her vertically-challenged measurement would be the best course of action for his safety.

“Not really! I usually wait for people to introduce themselves!” A few minutes of silence passed between them before the young woman crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly “So are you going to tell me your name or should I just call you Wolf?” Bridget replied, unaffected by Acri’s irritated reaction to his moniker “It’s a fitting name, considering you growled and resembled one when I first saw you!”

“Didn’t your mother tell you to run to run when you see the first signs of danger -”

“Bridget”

“Fine, then!” Acri sighed as he leaned closer to her, one of his eyebrows rising when he asked her a question “If I looked like a wolf when you first met me, why didn’t you run for safety?” He let out a wolfish grin, his voice turning into a low growl “If I happened to be a wolf, I would have easily eaten you in once piece”

“I’m confident that my horse would sooner trample you than see me harmed”

* * *

“You traitorous ingrate,” Suzu snarled at Angelique when a spell hit her in the chest, causing her to be knocked a few feet from where she previously stood.

Before she could find the strength to stand up, Acri fired another spell in her direction, red light shooting forth from his fingertips. When the spell hit the sorceress in the back, she collapsed on her chest and lost consciousness.

“Go!” Acri yelled at the war enchantress, prompting her to pick up her skirts and head towards the room the portal enchanter was being kept imprisoned.

When the alarms started blaring, Acri shook his head and let out a small groan, his arms rising in exasperation. _If I live, I will pommel that stupid portal magician in the face!_

A dozen of dark mages appeared from the hallway, shock written all over their faces when they saw the war mage standing in front of the sorceress’ unconscious figure. _In the meantime…_ Acri turned to face them, his magic raising a wall of shadows from behind him.

* * *

A week after his arrival in Farset, Acri has become accustomed to Bridget – from her visits to her seemingly nonstop chatter. With the Red Rider nursing him back to health (rather aggressively, if he might add), he is quickly recovering from his injuries. Much to his chagrin, the price he has to pay is Bridget constantly using her sass and sarcasm to push his buttons. _She’s even worse than Angelique!_

Even after all the time they spent together, Acri still refuses to give her his name and let her see him use his magic. After days of enduring the nickname she gave him, he started teasing her back by making witty comments about her short height. _How come she could get away with murder, while my quips against her are limited only up to three times a day!_ Acri winced when he remembered how she almost tied him up a tree by his feet when he once put a toe out of the line. _Short people are so terrifying!_

“How long was I passed out?” Acri asked as he dropped down a large stack of firewood – he hacked it to pieces with a magic axe when she wasn’t looking.

“Three days, give or take” Bridget grunted as she tried to carry a heavy pot into the campsite. Acri jogged to take the heavy object off her hands “In my defense, I would have been knocked into a coma due to exhaustion, so my count must be off!” Acri raised an eyebrow at her statement. Bridget merely flashed him with a bright smile, her hands placed on her chest as he rolled his eyes at her antics “You weren’t exactly an easy person to carry, you know?”

“Given your small stature, I wouldn’t have guessed!” Acri muttered, a half-smile forming on his lips. Bridget turned to kick him at the shins but he easily evaded her attack by quickly stepping to the side. “I meant, it must have been difficult carrying me around for days” Bridget held the ladle in front of her threateningly as she glared at Acri.

 _For such a short person, she has such a wild temper!_ Once Bridget diverted her attention from the war mage to the boiling water in the pot, Acri chortled in between coughs “Especially for someone as vertically-challenged as you!” A stick from the untouched pile of firewood hit the war mage on the back of his head.

Acri rubbed the sore spot and glared at her. Bridget stuck out her tongue at him then went back to cooking. _I feel sorry for her future husband already!_

“For your information, I did not carry you around for days! Although I cannot just leave you in your weakened state, I still have my duties to attend to!”

“How do you manage to perform your duties if you’re looking after me?”

“Recently, the king has been frequently sending me out on errands” Bridget said, tossing a sprig of parsley into the pot “I set up a small camp and dragged your scraggy bottom here” A small chuckle escaped from her lips as she dusted off her red cloak “In between my missions, I make detours so I could attend to your injuries!”

The bright glow of the fire made her hair look golden; the red color of her cloak added a pink hue to her face. When she turned to face Acri, he cannot help but stare in awe.

“It does not impede upon your work?” Acri asked, sitting on the grass as he watched her work “You’re not bothered by the trouble?”

“If there’s one thing that greatly bothered me, it’s your habit of talking in your sleep!” Bridget replied, her face scrunching up as she stirred the contents of the pot “You should really hear it for yourself. You sound so ridiculous!”

* * *

A few days later, Acri almost celebrated for joy when his bandages have come off. He rolled his shoulders back, delighted when he didn’t feel any pain. Although the wound left a scar in his abdomen, Bridget did a great job at patching him up.

_Which reminds me…_

“I got something for you, by the way!”

“Are you finally going to tell me your name?” Bridget perked up from her seat, her shoulders drooping when Acri shook his head “Well if it’s something that that you cooked, then I’m not hungry!” Bridget pouted at him, nibbling on a piece of bread. Acri furrowed his eyebrows at her statement “Don’t give me that look! You’re the one who thinks chives would go well with tea!”

“Just close your eyes!” Despite the deep frown in her face, Bridget did what she was told and shut her eyes tightly.

Acri raised his hand at eye-level, feeling the dark shadows balance itself at the palm of his hand. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he locked tendrils of his magic into the weapon. The blade hardened when he wrapped his fingers wrapped around the hilt of the dagger.

_Unlike the other weapons that I made, this dagger will not disappear…_

“Now, open your eyes!”

“Wolf?” Bridget whispered, her eyes shining brightly as she eyed the pretty dagger “Where did you get this?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really,” Bridget removed the dagger from its scabbard, her eyes widening as she admired the intricate details on the blade. “It’s just that I’ve never seen anything like it!” She tossed the dagger in the air and flipped it in between her hands “Thank you so much!”

_No, it is I who should thank you!_

* * *

“Silence, you fools!”

Acri was gathering firewood when he spotted the familiar black-red uniform of Chosen mages. His heart was beating wildly against his chest when he hid behind a tree, not far from where the mages are having a heated discussion.

“We only have one shot at this assignment and if we fail, we might as well return with our heads on a stick!” the leader of the group barked at his underlings, his voice could be heard loud and clear from the distance “The Red Rider is carrying vital information against the Chosen! Our mission is to make sure that she never delivers the message to the royals!”

_They’re talking about Bridget!_

Acri crouched low to the ground and narrowed his eyes, trying to get a closer look through the tall grass.

“How will we find the Red Rider?”

“Have you always been this obtuse or are you doing this just to annoy me?” the leader of the group hissed as he hit one of the smaller mages on the back of the head “The _Red_ Rider _–_ you absolute _genius –_ is the one with the _red_ cape and _red_ horses!”

“But, sir, I’m colorblind!”

The leader of the group took a deep breath before slamming his face on the palm of his hands. The other mages continued with whatever they’re doing, as if this occurrence wasn’t out of the normal for them.

“Among all the hundreds of mages that I could have been assigned with, why do I have to be stuck with you three?” After a few minutes of muttering curses and incomprehensible gibberish, the leader straightened up to glare at his subordinates.

“Why don’t we attack her elsewhere?” one of the mage underlings suggested, leaning against the base of a tree “Perhaps somewhere far from the elves of Farset?”

“The Red Rider rides one of the swiftest and most vicious herds of elven horses! If we don’t attack her now, we might not be able to stop her in time!” the leader explained as he pointed to the dust-covered path “The quickest way to the royals’ assemblage is through this route. In a few hours, the rider will be passing through this path. I expect you all to be prepared to take the rider down!”

“We’ll capture the Red Rider and drag her to the headquarters?” the colorblind mage asked, nodding slowly at the leader’s speech.

“No, you idiot!” the leader snapped, his neck turning a deep shade of red “We’re here to kill the Red Rider!”

_I have to warn Bridget!_

Acri was heavily panting when he finally reached the campsite, his heart beating harder than ever when he didn’t see the red-cloaked rider or her equally hostile steed around the area.

 _I’m such an idiot! I should have attacked those mages when I had the chance!_ Acri cursed when an explosion on the other side of the forest – followed by a torrent of indecent language that could only belong to the fairly short rider – caught his attention. He whipped his head so fast, he almost gave himself a whiplash.

“It’s an ambush!” Bridget cursed as she struggled to keep her horse calm, the impatient gelding far too eager to charge at the mages attacking them. Her steed snorted, stomping its hooves against the earth, when a group of dark mages emerged into the clearing.

* * *

The Red Rider reached for her sword, strapped to the side of her mount’s saddle. She ducked just in time when a green beam of light nearly struck her and whirred past her shoulder. The tree behind her burst into flames when the spell made contact with it.

Bridget jostled when her horse reared abruptly, using its front legs to strike one of their assailants in the chest. He staggered on his feet and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“You insolent wench!” one of the dark mages snarled as he pointed his fingers at her. A jet of yellow light struck the young rider in the chest.

Bridget was flung off her mount’s saddle, a deafening scream escaping from her lips as she fell to the ground.

* * *

_Get away from her!_

Acri’s legs started moving on their own when he heard Bridget scream. His eyes flashed with unfathomable fury as he jumped over a large boulder, a towering wall of weapons erupting from behind him.

With a roar, he directed the weapons towards the dark mage that struck Bridget. His opponent fell on his back and landed on the ground, his body writhing in pain.

_Don’t touch her!_

Acri leaped backwards, rapidly raising fragments of his magic to shield himself from his adversary’s blows. The barricade of shadows disintegrated into dust as he dropped his hands, twisting his magic at his fingertips and firing a bolt of lightning against the remaining mages.

_Don’t you dare hurt her!_

Acri stood in the center of the smolder, the smoke from the skirmish started to clear around him. Remnants of dust and ashes filled the air and covered the path like a fog.He turned around, his eyes narrowed as he fervently searched for the red-cloaked rider.

His heart plummeted down to his stomach when their eyes met.

* * *

“It’s okay, Acri!” Bridget whispered, looking at the war mage in the eye as she slowly limped towards him. Acri flinched when he realized that she called him by his real name “You don’t need to explain!”

“You know who I am?” Acri said, struggling to swallow the lump in his throat.

“Enchantress Angelique told me about you” Bridget nodded at him, placing her hand on his shoulder “When I first saw you, you were wearing your Chosen uniform. There aren’t many magic-users in this continent gifted with the same color as your eyes and temper” She paused, as if she’s contemplating her next words “And when you failed to return home, Lord Enchanter Clovicus told each and every one of the Farset riders to keep an eye out for you”

“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t want to press the topic further if you’re not ready!” Bridget replied, removing her hand from his shoulder. Acri fought back the urge to hold her hands in his. “I also wanted you to put your trust in me – enough that you’d give me your name yourself”

Acri stared into her bright blue eyes, afraid that at any moment, he will wake up to find that all of this is just a dream. The gleam in her eyes and the genuine smile in her face assured him that she is telling the truth – that she accepts him.

“And you still liked me?”

Bridget cupped his face in her hands “I loved you”


End file.
